Modes will be nothing but random trivia if you cannot listen to a song and identify what the key/tonal center is.

If you cannot identify a key, you cannot improvise over a song without a lot of guesswork involved. Music theory is intended to take the guesswork out. If you have a firm grasp on keys, major and minor scales and accidentals you can achieve all the "sounds" or "flavours" of modes if that's what you really want. If you actually want to write modal compositions you have to be able to distinguish between a song in a key, and a song in a mode. As the vast majority of songs are in keys (and it's arguable that modal compositions no longer exist due to being replaced by keys) it's easier to start with keys.

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It makes me realize how wrong my first guitar teacher was (himself a jazz player) to try and teach me modes at a time when I had little grasp on scales and virtually none as far as intervals go. I remember walking out of that lesson in a daze wondering what the hell just happened.

^^& we could call it, "Modes! before you ask..." Yea, that would solve everything.

I don't think that sticky's as good as it could be. It references other threads, and those threads are somewhat verbose. I think the continuing "mode plague" attests to the fact that it's not solving the problem it set out to solve.

I'd like to see the common mistakes given numbers, permitting replies such as "you're making Modes Mistake #3", followed by a direct link to a much simpler explanation.

The problem is that no one here can agree on what modes are and when they should be used and all that crap. Plus, there's no real source of theoretical discussion on modes in the actual world because, outside of guitar forums, no one gives a shit about arguing over modes.

I don't think that sticky's as good as it could be. It references other threads, and those threads are somewhat verbose. I think the continuing "mode plague" attests to the fact that it's not solving the problem it set out to solve.

I'd like to see the common mistakes given numbers, permitting replies such as "you're making Modes Mistake #3", followed by a direct link to a much simpler explanation.

exactly my point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Dawg158

"Modes! before you ask..."

Obviously people aren't bothering to read the articles linked on that one.